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Home , Benko Gambit, Danish Gambit, Dutch Defence, Evans Gambit, Giuoco Piano, Modern Benoni

Contents POISONED

Introduction 5 Algebraic Notation 6 How to Play the Opening 8

The 50 Mighty Openings

1) 14 2) Evans 16 3) Two Knights Defence 18 4) ’s Gambit 20 5) and Centre Game 22 6) Göring and Latvian 24 7) ’s Opening and 26 8) 28 9) 30 10) Petroff Defence 32 11) : Introduction 34 12) Ruy Lopez: Closed Main Lines 36 13) Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack 38 14) Ruy Lopez: Open Spanish 40 15) Alekhine Defence 42 16) Scandinavian Defence 44 17) Caro-Kann Defence 46 18) : Introduction 48 19) French Defence: 3 Ìc3 Main Lines 50 20) : Introduction 52 21) Closed Sicilian and Grand Prix Attack 54 22) Alapin (c3) Sicilian 56 23) Morra Gambit 58 24) Íb5 Sicilian 60 25) Open Sicilian: Introduction 62 26) Sicilian Dragon 64 27) Sicilian Najdorf 66 28) Sveshnikov Sicilian 68

3 29) ’s Gambit Accepted 70 30) Classical Queen’s Gambit Declined 72 31) Tartakower and Modern Lines 74 32) Queen’s Gambit Variations 76 33) Tarrasch Defence 78 34) Chigorin and Albin Counter-Gambit 80 35) Slav 82 36) Semi-Slav 84 37) London, Colle and Trompowsky 86 38) 88 39) and 90 40) King’s Indian: Introduction 92 41) King’s Indian: Main Lines 94 42) Grünfeld Defence: Introduction 96 43) Exchange Grünfeld 98 44) Queen’s Indian and Bogo-Indian 100 45) Nimzo-Indian: Introduction 102 46) Nimzo-Indian: Main Lines 104 47) Reversed Sicilian 106 48) Symmetrical English 108 49) Assorted English Lines 110 50) Réti Opening 112

Test Your Opening Knowledge 114 Test Your Opening Skills 116 Test Solutions 123 Conclusion 128

FRIED LIVER ATTACK

4 MIGHTY Ruy Lopez: Introduction OPENING 11 The opening that has stood the test of time like no other

The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest and most important openings. After 1e4e52Ìf3 Ìc6, White plays 3 Íb5 (1a). This looks less scary than 3 Íc4 as White doesn’t target the f7-pawn, but White’s plan is to put pressure on the e5-pawn by attacking its de- fender. Sooner or later, Black will need to parry this threat, and White hopes to use the time gained to establish a strong grip on the centre. Note also that Black’s pawn-thrust ...d5, which we saw repeatedly in the Giuoco Piano and Two Knights, will not hit the bishop. Black has a wide choice of replies, as White isn’t yet threatening 4 Íxc6 dxc6 5 Ìxe5, because 5...Ëd4 regains the pawn with a good game. Thus 3...d6 is unnecessarily passive, and 4 d4 gives White the freer game. The main line is 3...a6, with points like 4 Ía4 d6 5 d4?! b5! 6 Íb3 Ìxd4 7 Ìxd4 exd4 8 Ëxd4?? c5, when ...c4 will win the white bishop. The solid 3...Ìf6 (3) and the wild 3...f5 (4) are also possible, while the natural 3...Íc5 leaves the bishop exposed to White’s c3 and d4 pawn-break.

Basic Positions of the Ruy Lopez XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY 8r+lwkvnt( 8r+lwkv-t( 7zpzp+pzp’ 7+pzp+pzp’ 6-+n+-+-+& 6p+n+-s-+& 5+L+-z-+-% 5+-+-z-+-% 4-+-+P+-+$ 4L+-+P+-+$ 3+-+-+N+-# 3+-+-+N+-# 2PZPZ-ZPZ" 2PZPZ-ZPZ" 1TNVQM-+R! 1TNVQ+RM-! xabcdefghy xabcdefghy 1a) Black moves 1b) Black moves 3...a6 forces the bishop to declare its in- Then 4...Ìf6 5 0-0 leads to this position. It tentions. For 4 Íxc6 dxc6 see diagram 2a. looks as if White has forgotten about his e- 4 Ía4 keeps the bishop, waiting for a pawn, but see page 40 for 5...Ìxe4. The better moment to exchange on c6. main move is 5...Íe7 (pages 36-9).

34 XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY 8r+lwkvnt( 8r+-wkvnt( 7+pz-+pzp’ 7+pz-+pz-’ 6p+p+-+-+& 6p+p+-+-+& 5+-+-z-+-% 5+-+-z-+p% 4-+-+P+-+$ 4-+-+P+l+$ 3+-+-+N+-# 3+-+-+N+P# 2PZPZ-ZPZ" 2PZPZ-ZP+" 1TNVQM-+R! 1TNVQ+RM-! xabcdefghy xabcdefghy 2a) White moves 2b) White moves After 5 d4 exd4 6 Ëxd4 Ëxd4 7 Ìxd4, a The position after 5 0-0 Íg4!? 6 h3 h5!. pure pawn ending would be bad for Black, The bishop is taboo: 7 hxg4? hxg4 8 Ìh2? so he must avoid too many exchanges and Ëh4. After 7 d3 Ëf6 Black intends ...Ìe7- put his strong bishops to work. 5 Ìxe5 g6 and may exchange on f3 if this doubles Ëd4 gives White nothing. White’s pawns too. XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY 8r+lwkv-t( 8r+lwkvnt( 7zpzp+pzp’ 7zpzp+-zp’ 6-+n+-s-+& 6-+n+-+-+& 5+L+-z-+-% 5+L+-zp+-% 4-+-+P+-+$ 4-+-+P+-+$ 3+-+-+N+-# 3+-+-+N+-# 2PZPZ-ZPZ" 2PZPZ-ZPZ" 1TNVQM-+R! 1TNVQM-+R! xabcdefghy xabcdefghy 3) White moves 4) White moves This defence has the idea 4 0-0 Ìxe4 5 A point of this thrust is 4 d4 fxe4 5 Ìxe5 Îe1 Ìd6, attacking the b5-bishop. This Ìxe5 6 dxe5 c6. If the bishop moves, pops up again in the line 5 d4 Ìd6 6 Íxc6 7...Ëa5+ wins the e5-pawn. After 4 Ìc3 dxc6 7 dxe5 Ìf5 8 Ëxd8+ Êxd8, with a fxe4 5 Ìxe4 Ìf6 6 Ìxf6+ Ëxf6 7 Ëe2 complex queenless middlegame. Íe7 Black offers a pawn to get piece-play.

35 MIGHTY Ruy Lopez: Closed Main Lines OPENING 12 A true test of chess understanding

1 e4 e5 2 Ìf3 Ìc6 3 Íb5 a6 4 Ía4 Ìf6 5 0-0 Íe7 (1a) is known as the Closed Ruy Lopez, and often leads to play of great strategic subtlety. But don’t be fooled by the name: there are plenty of ways for the game to open up. First things first though: White now needs to protect his e4-pawn, so 6 Îe1 is the normal move. White then threatens to exchange on c6 and take on e5, so Black prevents this idea with 6...b5 7 Íb3. You might think that White has simply lost time with this bishop, but it has arrived on a very good diagonal, and Black’s moves ...a6 and ...b5 can provide useful targets for White. Having secured his e5-pawn, Black needs to decide how to deploy his pieces. 7...d6 is the stan- dard move, bringing in ideas of ...Íg4 and also with the positional threat of ...Ìa5, ex- changing off White’s potent bishop. That’s why White normally replies 8 c3 (1b), which also prepares the move d4. Then after 8...0-0 9 h3 (2a) we have reached a position where Black has a very wide choice of plans.

Basic Positions of the Closed Ruy Lopez XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY 8r+lwk+-t( 8r+lwk+-t( 7+pzpvpzp’ 7+-z-vpzp’ 6p+n+-s-+& 6p+nz-s-+& 5+-+-z-+-% 5+p+-z-+-% 4L+-+P+-+$ 4-+-+P+-+$ 3+-+-+N+-# 3+LZ-+N+-# 2PZPZ-ZPZ" 2PZ-Z-ZPZ" 1TNVQ+RM-! 1TNVQT-M-! xabcdefghy xabcdefghy 1a) White moves 1b) Black moves Direct attacking methods achieve little for Now 8...Ìa5 gets nowhere after 9 Íc2. White here. His best plan is to secure his Following 8...0-0 9 d4, Black’s 9...Íg4! e-pawn and play c3 and d4, building a idea puts pressure on White, as 10 h3? strong and flexible pawn-centre. Íxf3 11 Ëxf3 exd4 costs him a pawn.

36 XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY 8r+lw-tk+( 8r+lw-tk+( 7+-z-vpzp’ 7+-+-vpzp’ 6p+nz-s-+& 6p+-z-s-+& 5+p+-z-+-% 5spz-z-+-% 4-+-+P+-+$ 4-+-ZP+-+$ 3+LZ-+N+P# 3+-Z-+N+P# 2PZ-Z-ZP+" 2PZL+-ZP+" 1TNVQT-M-! 1TNVQT-M-! xabcdefghy xabcdefghy 2a) Black moves 2b) Black moves White plans d4, with an ideal centre, and This is the Chigorin Defence, 9...Ìa5 10 then to develop by Ìbd2, and if possible Íc2 c5 11 d4. Now 11...Ëc7 12 Ìbd2 Ìf1-g3, freeing the c1-bishop. Black’s Ìc6 13 d5 closes the game, 11...cxd4 12 main defences all hinder this manoeuvre – cxd4 exd4 opens it, while 11...Ìd7 12 see the next three diagrams. Ìbd2 exd4 13 cxd4 unbalances matters. XABCDEFGHY XABCDEFGHY 8r+-wr+k+( 8r+-w-tk+( 7+lz-vpzp’ 7+lznvpzp’ 6p+nz-s-+& 6p+-z-s-+& 5+p+-z-+-% 5+p+-z-+-% 4-+-ZP+-+$ 4-+-ZP+-+$ 3+LZ-+N+P# 3+LZ-+N+P# 2PZ-+-ZP+" 2PZ-S-ZP+" 1TNVQT-M-! 1T-VQT-M-! xabcdefghy xabcdefghy 2c) White moves 2d) White moves 9...Íb7 10 d4 Îe8 puts direct pressure on Breyer’s 9...Ìb8 10 d4 Ìbd7 11 Ìbd2 e4, and can lead to exciting play in lines Íb7 reorganizes Black’s pieces flexibly, like 11 Ìbd2 Íf8 12 a4 h6 13 Íc2 exd4 with ...d5 and ...c5 both still possible. 14 cxd4 Ìb4 15 Íb1 c5. But note 11 Ìg5 The two players must manoeuvre care- Îf8 12 Ìf3, seeking a . fully, ready for many different structures.

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